Some scuffles broke out near the Rio state legislature – with police firing tear gas on the demonstrators.

Unsafe procedures

The Reuters news agency reports that over one million abortions are carried out at “clandestine clinics” every year in Brazil, with thousands of women ending up in hospital as a result of botched procedures.

The agency said a growing Evangelical caucus in Congress has led to lawmakers taking an ever-more conservative stance on social issues.

In practice, wealthy women often have access to safe procedures while the poor bear the brunt of the country’s restrictive laws.

The plan to remove the limited circumstances in which abortion is legal would require two thirds of the vote in both chambers of the country’s Congress – however, there are fears the required votes could yet be found as representatives trade support for votes on other pieces of legislation.